Keep food fresh for longer! Storage tools.

Top tips

Try our top tips and ideas for making the most of the food we buy. Find out what types of food can be frozen and how to make your fridge a true food saving hero. Why not share your own tips to reduce food waste with fellow Love Food Hate Waste supporters.

Our tips for Fruits

  • Freeze crumble mixes

    When making fruit crumbles, make extra topping and store it in a freezer bag. It is then ready to sprinkle over fruit with no need to thaw it first.

  • Buried treasure for little Pirates

    Submitted by Alice Squires, Warrington

    If you have a few odd pieces of fruit which need eating up, slice them into the correct number of bowls for your little pirates and smother in freshly made custard (instant, tin or carton will do, but work out more expensive and it's easier to get a specific amount if you make it up yourself). My children love hunting for the buried treasure so much that they told me I should sell the recipe! You can easily adapt this idea with a few sweets, chocolate buttons or whatever else you have to hand...

  • Fruit salads!

    Submitted by Womens Institute,

    Most fruits can be made into a fruit salad either for breakfast or dessert (add cream, custard or ice cream for dessert). Simply put into pieces and serve (you can add a bit of fruit juice as well if you like).

  • Roasted fruit!

    Submitted by Womens Institute,

    Fruits can be roasted with icing sugar and served with whipped cream or creme fraiche.

  • Daily Fruit

    Celebrity tip by Anthea Turner

    A great way of getting children to have their daily fruit portion and of using up leftover fruit is to invest in a smoothie maker. These make great breakfast and snack options

  • Salad crisper fridge drawer mats

    Submitted by Philippa, London

    'Fruit & Vegetable Cushion' - these sponge mats catch any condensation and cushion your fruit and vegetables, so extending their life in the drawers.

  • Stayfresh Longer Bags

    Submitted by Liz Battram, Birmingham

    Stayfresh longer bags come in 3 sizes and are available from Lakeland Ltd. They are impregnated with a stone powder that absorbs ageing factors in fruit and veg, thereby increasing their storage life. They aren't cheap (about 25p per bag depending on the size) but can be used for most fruits, veg and salad stuff. And they really do work - a lettuce will keep for 3 weeks stored in one of these bags in the fridge, especially useful for single people who wouldn't eat a whole lettuce before it goes off. So, because less food is wasted they do save you money. I have recommended them to friends and colleagues.

  • Leftover yoghurt

    Submitted by Caroline Marson, Cookery Advisor,

    Add leftover yoghurt to fruit smoothies and juices.

  • Berries or soft fruit

    Submitted by Jane, Hampshire

    Make a punnet of raspberries or strawberries (or any soft fruit) into a pot of jam. Weigh the fruit, add half the weight in sugar, put in a microwave safe bowl and zap for 10 minute intervals until it is thickened (but not too thick). Store in the fridge in a clean glass jar. One punnet makes one normal sized jam jar. Perfect!

  • Saving your cake

    Submitted by Paddy, Woodstock

    If your cake sinks after cooking, remove centre with pastry cutter and fill with fresh fruit & cream and serve as a dessert. Failed muffins can make a great alternative to bread for bread and butter pudding.

  • Breakfast bananas

    Submitted by Hannah Wood, Ipswich

    Slice an over ripe banana and blend with milk until smooth. Pour over cereal such as weetabix or muesli for a healthy breakfast. It's a great choice for before a workout! Also works well if you mix in other soft fruit that is about to go off - such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries . It uses up old fruit, adds more taste to the cereal, plus the different colours the milk ends up amuses my kids no end!

  • Wash Them

    Submitted by Lia, Alaska

    I soak & wash all my fruits and vegetables in a sink full of water with just a drop of Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds (I've heard that salt & vinegar work just as well). Veggies I've washed this way are often still quite good 1 - 2 weeks later. Even cauliflower lasted 5 days with no spoiling at all. When I don't soak them, they spoil a lot faster.

  • Re-use those supermarket food bags

    Submitted by John Sage, Hornsea, East Yorkshire

    When you buy your fresh fruit or veg at the supermarket, save the small bags which you put them in and use them again for your pack-up sandwiches, provided they are not stained or contaminated of course. I have done this for years and have never since had to buy an expensive box of sandwich or freezer bags.

  • Keeping food longer

    Submitted by P Smith, Northampton

    I use a Fresh Pod in my salad drawers and fruit bowl. It absorbs the gases form the ripening fruit and veg and helps them last much longer.

  • Lion pasta sauce or lion soup

    Submitted by Lell Picken, Consett co.Durham

    I make pasta sauces and soups from the vegatables that are "lion" about in the fridge! Peppers, celery, carrots, tomatoes that are too soft to go in a salad. It's never the same twice. I also do the same thing with fruit and make crumbles.

  • Fresh and crisp fruit and veg

    Submitted by Jenna, Hartlepool

    In your fruit and veg draw put tin foil in the bottom with the shinny side up. Keeps fruit and veg fresher for longer.

  • Blueberries or any soft fruit

    Submitted by Riffkir, Lytham St Annes

    If it is about to go off or is over ripe. Put in a saucepan with a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and sugar. Heat slowly until the fruit "pops" and the liquid reduces. You will then have your own jam or a fruit compot!!

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